Sable Thorns
by Dr. cats1991
Summary: George and his friend Victor are out on an adventure when they meet a mysterious black queen with a twisted leg. George falls for her at once, but this blossoming romance will be harder to manage than your average garden variety.
1. Prolgue

**Quick Author's Note**: To clarify, in this story and probably all my serious storys for the fandom, humans see cats how we would see our pets, average ordinary house cats, but cats see each other as they appear in the musical. Also in my stories walking upright and dancing are cultural traits of Jellicles only and none Jellicles cats don't do it, although they do sing, because well whose cat hasn't woken them up at night with yowling?

/

Something had changed. The house was tense and Sable's owners fought often, throwing things and screaming. Boxes appeared, perfect hiding places for the young kit, but she was constantly being banished from them, things loaded in, instead. It didn't make much sense to the kitten who had been living with them since the Mistress's birthday when she was gifted to her. Sable missed her mother and siblings, but the petite black cat found comfort in snuggling down between her humans at night.

Mistress was carrying a box from downstaris then, one of her shoelaces tempestuously untied. Crouching low her rear end wiggling the cat with large amber eyes prepared to strike. One, two, three bounds and she was on the lace biting and batting it about playfully. "Stop it!" Mistress shouted knocking her aside with her foot. Sable rolled and tumbled across the floor with the momentum of it. Sable sat up and looked at Mistress with irritation, her ears pinned down. The kick had been a bit rougher than usual, but didn't really hurt, it was just unfair, how come she couldn't do anything now?

Sulking the kitten walked into the kitchen to examine her food bowl. It was empty, still. She lashed her tail looking dismally at her equally bare water dish. All these changes were beginning to get to be too much for her. She wondered why anything had to change at all. Regardless the reasons, two days without food could not stand and she marched right back to Mistress's side rubbing against her legs meowing loudly. Putting the box down a sigh Mistress picked up the kitten kissing the top of her head. "Go play." she instructed putting her immediately back down. Not, as satisfactory as a bowl of crunchy, chickeny goodness, but a start, the kitten decided going off on her own again.

She spent some time prowling through the dirty clothes piles, and scampering about emty, echoy, guest bathroom, swatting an old toothpaste lid jovially. It wasn't long however before she grew tired and found for herself a quiet place in the kitchen to rest. She curled up tightly on a chair and fell asleep. Sable's nap was interrupted by shouting when Master came home. Fur on end, but spurred on by curiosity the kitten stretched herself before jumping down from her resting place. She mewed walking into the living room where the argument was taking place.

The kitten couldn't understand humans, not when they got like this. What was there to be so angry about? Master was angry because of the man who sometimes came over while he was at work, but Mistress liked him, so he couldn't have been too bad, could he? It wasn't long however before Mistress was storming out again, why couldn't they be home at the same time without fighting? The kitten wondered dismally.

Master didn't filled her food or water bowl either, instead he focused on the boxes that seemed to consume her humans's lives now. After he had taken out several of these large brown annoyances he plopped down on the couch with one of his frothy, smelly drinks. Sable leapt onto his chest rubbing her head along his chin affectionately. She got knocked down. Determined to explain her needs one way or the other she tried again much to the same result. Then came to phone call, and more yelling, Sable waited.

Master was fuming, and thrown his phone across the room shattering it to pieces. Her heart hammering Sable tried to calm him, his rage flooding the room with a pungent odor. She hissed when his hand seized her roughly by the neck. The kitten curled her dangling body as she would had it been her mother carrying her and closed her eyes. When Master released her she found that she was in his car. She was flooded with excitement at the prospect of a new grand adventure and began rooting around the items he had loaded up while Master drove away from Home.

After they had been going for a while Sable made her way to the man's lap where she curled, purring loudly. "Cheating bitch." she heard Master say, he'd be saying it a lot lately so she paid him little mind. The window came open then, startling the kit who dug her claws into the man's leg instinctually. He reached down and instead of consoling the cat gripped her tightly by the back of her neck. She could smell his evil intent. Sable's heart thundered mightily in her head as she felt her body swing beneath her as he coiled back his arm before hurling the kitten out of the moving vehicle.

Everything went so slowly then. The air rushed passed with a deafening roar, streetlamps were blurs of light and her body twisted and flailed madly as she tried to right herself though tumbling and sailing through the air as she was, she had no way of know which direction was up. Then she hit the ground and everything moved at light speed. Pain white hot flared through her hid legs and pelvic bone, before jarring her back and shoulders, flesh torn by the asphalt. She spun again, her vision flaring brightly has her head collided with the earth before fading out.

The black kitten lay unconscious in a bloody heap, in the center of the dark road for several minutes before showing any signs of life. Her ears and whiskers twitched as she came back to herself. Sable lifted her head regretting it immediately as the pain washed over her in an overwhelming wave. Whimpering the queen found strength enough to pull herself to the sidewalk urged by the sight of an oncoming car. Once safely across she collapsed again weak and broken. Blood dripping into one eye as she trembled Sable looked for her human family. It had to have been a mistake hadn't it? They still loved her didn't they? They were going to take care of her because she was hurt, weren't they? She waited for what seemed like an eternity, her frail form trembling with shock before crestfallen and disenchanted with the world she drug herself down an alley her right hind leg a badly mangled mass of tissue and bone.


	2. Chapter 1

George had always been restless. From the time he was born while other kittens clung to their mother's side and enjoyed piling up in warm fuzzy heaps George neglected his siblings and other such comforts. He, blind as he was, was busy trekking his way to the edge of the basket. Yes, though disdainfully looked upon by some Jellicles, not many mind you for there are tribe cats from many walks, he had been born a house cat, a pet. Born with a wandering soul his mother, a calico queen named Princess had put it to him. Though regardless of his heritage it was the ties that he maintained with his former masters that caused him to be more or less a fringe member of the tribe. Yet this suited the tom well, he enjoyed being able to go where he pleased, when he pleased.

His best friends and greatest allies within the Jellicle ranks were Skimbleshanks, the older orange tom a wander of sorts himself with strong ties to humans was his confidant and mentor, and Victor, the roguish brown tabby. Victor was young, but had already found himself at odds with much of the tribe. It wasn't his doing however, but rather his mother's. The daring queen had marched through the Yard nearly a year and a half ago, her son lagging dismally behind her. She had declared that her son had been fathered by none other than Deuteronomy, and as such he required a birthright, before abandoning him to a reluctant and disgruntled tribe's care.

This singular act had earned for the tom the ire of Deuteronomy's two legitimate sons who had remained loyal to their father, while the leader himself welcomed Victor with as much warmth as any cat could expect, no more, no less. Victor had become like a younger brother of sorts to George, who had wecomed the kitten in, having known similar difficulty. The were both slightly reclusive and reluctant to join in, in tribe activities and gathers. Yet neither of them were unfriendly or cold, and although Victor could be very reserved at times, he and his partner in crime Pouncival were the terrors of the Yard. Pranksters and hooligans both.

George was laying on his back, in his den staring at the ceiling, willing something to happen. His body ached. It wasn't with fatigue or even injury, but rather with a burning wanderlust that of late consumed him. The grey-brown cat let out a sigh before flipping first to one side, then the other, before returning to his original position. It wasn't unusual for the tom to disappear from the Yard for days at a time. He visited his mother and her humans frequently, but what he loved to do most was explore the world beyond any boarder he had yet to cross. With the path between Yard and Princess's flat well worn and easily navigated he had slowly begun expanding the world he knew.

George smiled crookedly as he thought about it he liked to think that he knew more of the wide world than any Yard bound cat, and aside from Old Deuteronomy and the Railway cat likely did. There was a butcher's on fifth that catered to him, known to the owner as 'Big Grey,' and a tabby queen two streets over he'd shared a brief affair with, he grinned mischievously, visits with her were often short-lived but very intense. He knew the best spots to sun in the afternoons, and the places that were best avoided. He was getting ready to give a stretch when a tail slapped across his face. Sputtering George tossed the furry lash aside. He stretched good and long then, toes pointed and arms reached high above his head, he was yawning when, thwap, he was struck with the tail again.

"Victor, move over." he grumbled shoving the brown tabby with a foot. "You're hitting me with your tail." If his roommate wasn't so deathly afraid of thunderstorms, and could learn to keep still during the night, the tom was sure his woes would be over, there was a disapproving grumble. "You're leaving again aren't you?" Victor asked sitting up, his fur disheveled. "What makes you ask that?" George asked fighting away the urge to finish his interrupted yawn. Victor shrugged, "You only ever wake up early when you go exploring." he stated simply, and George had to admit his logic was very sound. "Yeah, I guess." he replied. "Are you going to go see your mom?" Victor asked smoothing his fur. George shrugged as he stood. "Dunno."

Outside the Yard was still sleeping, well most of it anyway. Munkustrap and Alonzo, his second in command, were up chatting idly as they made their early morning rounds. The pair nodded to George as he sat watching the sun rise. He loved this part of day best, despite how often he slept in. The sun was about halfway up was casting a weak light across the land, and making pink the sky, while stars could still be seen in midnight blue to the west, a myriad of hues and shades stretching between the two horizons. George inhaled deeply, this was the type of morning he liked to adventure to.

"Can I come this time?" Victor asked stepping through the doorway, looking much more presentable after a wash. "Wouldn't you rather be here causing trouble with Pouncival until I get back?" the grey-brown tom asked arching his back. Victor shrugged. "Not really, this time I want to see what I'm missing out on." The two regarded one another for a moment before Victor added, "I swear I won't do anything stupid, at least not too often." he smirked cheekily, George cuffed his ear. "Yeah, sure, but what I say goes. It can be pretty dangerous out there." Victor stood at attention saluting sharply. "Smart ass." George laughed before standing and heading towards the hole in the Yard fence he frequented. "What about breakfast?" Victor asked trotting after him. "We'll find something." George assured. "Find something?" Victor asked doubtfully. George grinned at the young cat, "Or you could just stay home." Victor's brow furrowed. "No way!"


End file.
